Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Many art museums and cultural centres around town feature impressive new wings or inspired architectural conversions of industrial or commercial spaces. The best of these are İstanbul Modern, by Tabanlıoğlu Partnership; SALT Galata, by Mimarlar Tasarım; the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, by Savaş, Erkel and Çırakoğlu; the İstanbul Naval Museum in Beşiktaş, by Mehmet Kütükçüoğlu; and santralistanbul in Sütluce on the Golden Horn, by Emre Arolat, Nevzat Sayın and Han Tümertekin. Tabanlıoğlu Partnership’s Beyazıt State Library restoration and Emre Arolat’s Eyüp Cultural Centre and Marriage Hall are also noteworthy.

Nevzat Erol’s 1953 İstanbul Belediye Sarayı (İstanbul City Hall), located opposite the Şehzade Mehmet Mosque on Şehzadebaşı Caddesi in Fatih, was the first International Style building in the city.

At the time of writing, a number of projects by high-profile international firms were on the drawing board or in the first stages of construction. These included the city’s new airport designed by Grimshaw Architects with Haptic Architects, which features a tulip-shaped traffic control tower.